Curbing crime takes leadership

Statistics Canada has confirmed that, after many years of trying, Saskatoon finally has climbed into first place for both the amount of crime and the severity of crime in Canada.

If this trend continues, city crews will be changing signs at the airport and city limits from “Saskatoon Shines” to “Please Remove All Valuables from Your Vehicle.”

The response from city leaders has been mixed. Police Chief Clive Weighill acknowledged that crime has become worse and that it has been hard on the Saskatoon Police Service. Mayor Don Atchison’s comments were the exact opposite.

In an interview, Atchison questioned Statistics Canada’s accuracy and suggested we are a victim of own success, as Saskatoon residents report too much crime. Despite the city’s own data and the police chief saying the opposite, the mayor said that Saskatoon is a safe place to live, work and play.

He highlighted what Saskatoon has done in the past, but that is what has led us to this point. If the city had done enough, then we wouldn’t have a crime problem and we wouldn’t be talking about it.

Every time I write about crime in Saskatoon, I get the same response from people who have been victims of random crime. The pain in those emails was real. Crime stats aren’t just numbers; they each represent a citizen or visitor to Saskatoon who has been hurt, stolen from and violated.

I’ve heard from teachers whose students have been robbed or randomly assaulted. I’ve listened to stories from retail staff who have been robbed and from people who have their windows smashed and have to pay for repairs out of their grocery budgets. I’ve read emails with stories about sexual assault and had people tell me how afraid they are at times after a crime was committed.

For many of us, the defining memories of growing up in Saskatoon are the Meewasin Trail, exploring the city and sports. For other children, those memories are about being hurt and scared because someone wanted their backpack or wallet at knifepoint. That isn’t the Saskatoon any of us want, but for many it is the Saskatoon we have.

Chief Weighill has always been right when he talks about having to deal with social problems in order to lower crime stats.

Where do you start? Affordable housing, homelessness, education and poverty are issues that fall into federal and provincial jurisdictions over which we have little control or influence. Of course, those are connected to crime, but a high crime rate also creates its own social programs.

It doesn’t surprise anyone that Saskatoon has challenging social issues. We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about them and tackle difficult and unpopular issues head on. That is what I want from our politicians. It’s called leadership.

Saskatoon doesn’t need spin, and citizens don’t need assurances. Residents of neighbourhoods most afflicted by crime need to know the city’s plan to tackle the problem and make our areas safer.

Without a workable city plan – and a strong commitment to carry it out – homeowners will create their own plans. As other cities have learned, the plan people have is to leave high crime neighbourhoods while they can and move to the suburbs and surrounding communities. The flight to suburbs is accompanied by declining home ownership in the core, which in many cities is linked to crime. It’s happened already in parts of Saskatoon.

If Saskatoon doesn’t get a handle on high crime, people will move to suburbs and to places such as Warman, Martensville or Dundurn that are safer. I’ve seen it from my neighbours. So many times I have been told, “We just can’t take the crime any longer.”

People’s thresholds for tolerating crime are different, but the result is the same. Even people with deep roots in their neighbourhood just get worn down. The grind from living in a highcrime neighbourhood isn’t physical; it comes from the anxiety of looking out your window each morning to see if your car is still there.

While the mayor has been spinning the bad news, the province has been silent. Saskatoon and Regina are the two most crime-ridden cities in Canada, but as with most years when the crime ranking comes out, the provincial government is silent until it momentarily becomes an issue in question period. The government loves the tax revenue generated by vibrant cities, but it’s quiet when social issues need to be resolved.

Political leadership means stepping up to face problems head on and trying to solve them. It isn’t spinning them, minimizing them or ignoring them. Both Saskatoon and Regina need that from our politicians immediately. Do any of them care enough about the victims of crime to find the solutions?

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